SARATOGA SPRINGS -- A committee looking at ways to create a more vibrant South Broadway leading into downtown may recommend hiring a marketing firm to court businesses.

The Gateway Action Planning Committee is scheduled to report to the City Council Tuesday, Dec. 4.

For the portion of South Broadway the committee focused on -- between West Fenlon and West Circular streets -- the group believes the most significant thing the city can do to spur development is better market the area.

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"It has to be an active process," said Supervisor Matthew Veitch, one of the city's two representatives on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors.

The committee was formed in February by Veitch and city Accounts Commissioner John Franck. It was charged with figuring out why South Broadway, one of the gateways to the city, is not more commercially vital.

Several buildings along South Broadway sit vacant, including the former homes of Alexandra's Ice Cream, Saratoga Diner and other restaurants, and a car dealership sold this year to developer Frank Parillo that is a possible location for a mental health clinic.

The committee talked with business owners, developers and other stakeholders to figure out the challenges of the corridor and why its development has not kept pace with the rest of the city.

Veitch and Franck said their committee's report will offer recommendations, but it won't be a prescription for how to improve the district.

That, they said, will be left up to a Comprehensive Plan Committee that Mayor Scott Johnson hopes to form by the end of the year. The committee will be in charge of reviewing zoning and planning practices in the city and adjusting the Comprehensive Plan to guide future development.

The GAPS Committee broke the South Broadway corridor into three geographic regions.

Veitch said the southernmost end, by the Design Motel and PJ's Bar-B-QSA, needs infrastructure such as sewer and water. Still, the area likely won't be densely developed because of the wetlands.

The middle section of South Broadway, near Murphy's Golf Range, is primarily zoned for businesses like medical offices.

"It's clear there won't be that kind of development there," Franck said.

However, the GAPS Committee steered clear of suggesting what should go there.

"We think the Comprehensive Planning Committee should definitely look at that zoning and consider different options for the area," Veitch said.

The area GAPS focused on -- the northernmost part of the corridor from around the Washington Inn to the Holiday Inn -- is where they believe better marketing would make a difference.

In addition, Veitch said the area needs to be defined as its own entity. He said the committee recommended emphasizing the transition from the "green belt" around the city to the urban core by installing pocket parks and other green space "to give it a little more of a park-like feel."

Overall, Veitch said, the GAPS Committee functioned well.

"I think it's a great model moving forward," he said. "A small committee focusing on specific areas of the city can come up with good ideas about how to address issues."